the impossible

Pardon the redundancy, but it seems almost impossible that The Impossible didn’t garner more attention when it was released last December. Of course there was Naomi Watts’ Oscar nomination for Best Actress, which she likely would have won if not for Jennifer Lawrence. But with an award-friendly true story to lean on and some of the most incredibly realistic water-borne stunts and effects ever created on film, one is still left a little mystified as to why audiences didn’t respond. Perhaps the memory of the actual tragedy in Thailand is still too fresh in people’s minds to suffer through such an intense retelling. And director Juan Antonio Bayona’s film certainly puts you through the emotional wringer.

Recreating the events that took place during the 2004 tsunami, The Impossible follows one British family as the catastrophe strikes their seaside vacation resort. Watts portrays the strong-willed mother of three boys –one rebellious pre-teen and his two younger siblings. Ewan McGregor plays their non-confrontational father who leans on his wife to handle all the tough stuff. But when the water hits, they’re all cast adrift in the debris filled chaos and struggling to stay together.

The film’s most powerful image is of Watts in the midst of a frightening maelstrom as she regains consciousness to find herself alone, clinging to a tree, with no idea what happened to the rest of her family. Her screams are equal parts terror and anguish. And it’s only the beginning of the film’s emotional manipulation that switches from one horrifying situation to the next. And yet the real message of the film lies in the altruism that arises from everyone involved despite the dire circumstances.

Bayona’s choice to follow one white family’s experience can cause some racial discomfort. The hospitals are packed with largely European tourists receiving medical treatment while Thai residents themselves are practically non-existent, except for a local family who offers valuable assistance to Watts along the way. The ratio may be uncomfortably accurate, but it’s even more uncomfortable that Bayona never addresses it.

Despite this flaw – and the preponderance of “near-misses” as the family struggles to reunite – The Impossible is a film that rises above most of the other Best Picture nominees this year. And that’s not even taking into account the snubbing of child-actor Tom Holland, whose performance was every bit as good as Quvenzhane Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild. If you believe in movie karma, The Impossible is overdue for some recognition.

Summit Entertainment’s blu-ray is the next best thing next to experiencing the film on the big screen. Even then, it’s hard to pick out all the work that went into recreating the massive power of that wall of water. For that you can dig into the extras, which include a commentary track, casting featurette and more on the logistics of “how it was done.”